FREEMASONRY AND THE HERMETIC DOCTRINE

FREEMASONRY AND THE HERMETIC DOCTRINE

It is well known and profoundly explicated by great authors, that aside from being the one Initiatic Order that has endured and survived until the present time, Freemasonry is the purest inheritor of the Metaphysics and Symbology of the Hermetic Tradidtion.

The word ≥Hermetism≤ derives from Hermes Trismegistus, the ≥Thrice Great One≤, the legendary personage to whom the Egyptians gave the name ≥Thoth≤, and who divulged the Perpetual Philosophy and Esoteric Sciences to the Western World. The Greeks assimilated him as the God ≥Hermes≤, and the Romans as ≥Mercury≤, messenger of the Gods and transmitter of the primordial teachings that have remained semi-intact until our very days, thanks to the Mystery Schools of which, we Freemasons, are direct descendants. History relates that all these profound knowledge had been transmitted and entrusted to the Grand Hierophants, ancient Egyptian Priests who, in the interior of a cavern, by means of rituals very similar to ≥ours≤, used to initiate the Pharaohs and Wise Sages whom, in turn, were responsible for guarding and legating such an Infinite Wisdom to the future generations.

As it is related in the Torah and/or Old Testament, in the Book of Genesis, chapter 41, verses 1 thru 57, Joseph, son of Jacob, succeeded in earning the Pharaohπs appreciation due to his knowledge and esoteric abilities; So did the High Priests of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, before their enslavement, and, of course, Moses, the Egyptian Prince, Architect and Hierophant who became the Emancipator and Law-Giver of the Jews. They all drank from the Sacred Science of the Egyptian High Priests, thus enhancing and complementing the Hebrew Esoteric Tradition. It is also well known, that a vast number of Wise Men and Sages, such as Pythagoras, that took active/vital parts during the ≥Golden Century≤ of Greek Culture, were also initiated by Egyptian Priests. This Hermetic Knowledge was also acquired and later disseminated by posterior Pythagoreans such as: Socrates, Plato, Timaeus and Appolonius of Tyana, thus building the solid foundation of Occidental Culture and Tradition. Accordingly, therefore, we can assert that these teachings, principles and practices were not manifested solely in Egypt, but, in other ancient civilizations and cultures as well; And, furthermore, these other ancient civilizations have already beheld their share of personages whom, have also been syncretised with the character of Hermes, and the writings attributed to these mythological beings have likewise become part of the Universal Hermetic Books. In fact, the planet Mercury and the Sun, respectively deified by the ancient northern hindues as ≥Budha≤, by the Nordics as ≥Odin≤, ≥Woden≤ or ≥Wotan≤, by the Incas as ≥Viracocha≤, and by the Aztecs as ≥Quetzalcoatl≤, have attributes and characteristics similar to those of Hermes. In the Islamic Tradition the Prophet Idris is also compared with Hermes, as well as with Noah and Elias, all three elevated to the heavens without having passed through the realm of death; And, in the Jewish Tradition, Hermes is compared to the Archangels Raphael and Michael, whom, per the Kabbalah , are likewise represented by Mercury and the Sun.

All these comparisons are not mere coincidences, but, on the contrary, they are one more fundamental proof that all cultures take their symbols and beliefs from a Primeval Tradition, a common stock in all of them. All this Knowledge, Understanding and Skills had already been revealed to the Old Civilizations of the East, presented under different apparel, physiognomy and path. And, in like manner, they had also been unveiled to those of the Old European Continent and our Pre-Columbine Nations of America.

Moreover, it is important to remark that all these cognitions and teachings were also manifested in the Occidental Hemisphere, through the science expressed in the myths and symbols of the Greeks, Romans, Gnostic Christians and Arabs, constituting a symbiosis from which the Hermetic Tradition is properly derived, and that gives shape to the primary and unanimous tradition which, in its most internal and esoteric aspects, were transmitted to the neophyte by way of the rituals and lessons implemented and taught at the Initiatic Schools, precursors of our Order.

In the 3rd century of our era, the city of Alexandria became the place where the True Synthesis of all this Wisdom was produced; in an amazing manner, there were assembled innovating ideas and personages originating from different times and places; there, in that Great Metropolis, the First Christians lived together with the Gnostics and the Neo-Platonic Greek Thinkers, and blended their traditions with those of the Jews, the Hindus, and the Chinese Taoists. This fortunate convergence made possible the formation of a True Synthetic Doctrine that began to expand toward different directions of the globe. In addition, to clarify and counter the misconceptions and mal-intentioned predications of our days, we should mention the expansion of Islamism which, had a determining influence upon the Sciences and Arts of the Middle Ages, an epoch during which Hermetism reached its maximum splendor. In this period, much Importance, Dedication and Enthusiasm was given to the development and/or augmentation of the Esoteric and Hermetic Sciences, such as: Numerology, Geometry, Architecture, Astrology, Alchemy and Kabbalah, all of them ≥connections between heaven and earth≤, vehicles of knowledge and cosmological royal art. Later on, when the Middle Ages entered their period of decadence, and the vast majority of Wise Men and Sages started to be persecuted, all these sciences had to go underground and became, once again, ≥Occult≤, or, ≥Hidden≤ within a number of Iniatic Orders, such as ≥The Mystics of Munich≤ and ≥The Faithful of Love≤ to, which, the Masters Ekhart and Dante belonged. In the subsequent Renaissance, our sciences became active participants of this ≥Rebirth≤, adopting a few new facets; But, it is, then, from that very period in time, when the seeds of the posterior Rationalism and present Materialism were planted, and, so, all these Sciences and Arts started to slowly be cast into oblivion, and substituted by technical and empirical sciences, though conserving intact their centers of initiations which, in time became the foundation of Free-Masonry, as we know it in its genuine form.

The Masonic Adept must firmly believe that, in order to comprehend the true sense of the Hermetic Tradition and the Reason of Being of our Order, it is necessary to overpower and surpass the prejudices of the modern mentality. The studious Free-Mason can no longer ignore that, in its remote beginnings, our Fraternity was essentially operative, but, dedicated and devoted to the study and experimenting of these Hermetic Secrets, Principles and Disciplines which, constituted its reason of being and gave it the necessary strength to fulfill its objectives.

Just as we are told by Bro:. Oswald Wirth ≥ä True Masonic Initiation is Active Initiation ä≤. Initiation is not sought after solely to learn, but, to work, to learn to work. According to the symbolic language utilized by every Initiatic School, Labor has as its objective the transmutation of led into gold (Alchemy), and the construction of the Temple of Universal Concord (Free-Masonry).

Fortunately, my Brothers, there are still in our August Order, true Freemasons studious of Metaphysical Principles and Hermetic Symbology, and who manage to safeguard the purity of the rituals and initiatic practice, through which, we conserve that Spiritual Influx that shall enable our Institution to comply with the noble and sublime mission for which it was created, and to which we all belong wholeheartedly in conformity with the will of The Great Architect Of The Universe.

Hermetic Philosophy is Operative Philosophy, and that means that the student of Hermeticism shall self convert into an operator of his own reality, into a maker, into a transformer of those conditions which limit and imprison him on a daily basis.

With an elevated level of conscience, the Hermetist, helping himself with The Seven Universal Principles known in The Kybalion, can transmute the external conditions of his life, just as well as the limitations and defects of his personality, until reaching a True Liberation.

≥These Universal Principles of Truth are seven; he who knows them with full comprehension, posseses the Magickal Key before whose touch all the doors of the Temple fly open≤. – Hermes Trismegistus

These Seven Hermetic Principles upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based, are the following:

Principle of Mentality or Mentalism.

Principle of Correspondence.

Principle of Vibration.

Principle of Polarity.

Principle of Rhythm.

Principle of Cause and Effect.

Principle of Gender and/or Generation.

Let us proceed to examine them one by one:

PRINCIPLE OF MENTALITY OR MENTALISM

≥The ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental.≤ – Hermes Trismegistus

This principle embodies the truth that ≥All is Mind≤. It explains that THE ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying all the outward manifestation and appearances which we know under the terms of ≥The Manifested Universe≤; the ≥Phenomena of Life≤; ≥Matter≤; ≥Energy≤; and, in short, all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT which in itself is UNKNOWABLE and UNDEFINABLE, but which may be considered and thought of as AN UNIVERSAL, INFINITE, LIVING MIND. It also explains that all the phenomenal world or universe is simply a Mental Creation of THE ALL, subject to the Laws of Created Things, and that the universe, as a Whole, and in its parts or units, has its existence in the Mind of THE ALL, in which we ≥live, move and have our being≤. This principle, by establishing the Mental Nature of the Universe, easily explains all of the varied mental and psychic phenomena that occupy such a large portion of the public attention, and which, without such explanation, are non-understandable and defy scientific treatment. An understanding of this great Hermetic Principle of Mentalism enables the individual to readily grasp the laws of the Mental Universe, and to apply the same to his well-being and advancement. The Hermetic Student is enabled to apply intelligently the Great Mental Laws, instead of using them in a haphazard manner. With the Master-Key in his/her possession, the student may unlock the many doors of the Mental and Psychic Temple of Knowledge, and enter the same freely and responsibly. This Principle explains the True Nature of ≥Energy≤, ≥Power≤ and ≥Matter≤; and why and how all these are subordinates to the Mastery of Mind. One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, ages ago: ≥He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery≤. And these words are as true today as at the time they were first written. Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of The Temple.

THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDENCE

≥As above, so below; as below, so above.≤ – Hermes Trismegistus

This Principle embodies the Truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. The old Hermetic Axiom ran in these words: ≥As above, so below; as below, so above≤, and the grasping of this Principle gives one the means of solving many a dark paradox, and hidden secret of Nature. There are planes beyond our knowing, but when we apply the Principles of Correspondence to them we are able to understand that which, otherwise would be unknowable to us. This Principle is of universal application and manifestation, on the various planes of the material, mental, and spiritual universeä it is an Universal Law. The ancient Hermetists considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which man was able to pry aside the obstacles which hid from view the Unknown. Its use even tore aside the Veil of Isis to the extent that a glimpse of the face of The Goddess might be caught. Just a knowledge of the Principles of Geometry enables man to measure distant planets and their movements, while seated in his observatory, so a knowledge of the Principles of Correspondence enables Man to reason intelligently from the Known to the Unknown.

This Principle embodies the Truth that ≥everything is in motion≤; ≥everything vibrates≤; ≥nothing is at rest≤; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify. And yet this Hermetic Principle was enunciated thousands of years ago, by the Masters of Ancient Egypt. This Principle explains that the differences between the manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibration. From THE ALL, which is Pure Spirit, down to the grossest form of Matter, all is in vibration – the higher the vibration, the higher the position in the scale. The Vibration of Spirit is at such an infinite rate of intensity and rapidity that it is practically at rest, just as a rapidly moving wheel seems to be motionless. And at the other end of the scale, there are gross forms of matter whose vibrations are so low as to seem at rest. Between these poles, there are millions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. From corpuscle and electron, atom and molecule, to worlds and universes, everything is in vibratory motion. This is also true on the planes of energy and force (which are but varying degrees of vibration); and also on the mental planes (whose states depend upon vibrations); and even on to the spiritual planes. An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas, enables the Hermetic students to control their own mental vibrations as well as those of others. The Masters also apply this Principle to the conquering of Natural Phenomena, in various ways. ≥He who understands the Principle of Vibration, has grasped the scepter of power≤, said one of the old Hermetic Philosophers.

THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY

≥Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.≤ – Hermes Trismegistus

This Principle embodies the Truth that ≥everything is dual≤; ≥everything has two poles≤; ≥everything has its pair of opposites≤, all of which were Old Hermetic Axioms. It explains the old paradoxes, that have perplexed so many, which have been stated as follows: ≥Thesis and antithesis are identical in nature, but different in degree≤; ≥opposites are the same, differing only in degree≤; ≥the pairs of opposites may be reconciled≤; ≥extremes meet≤; ≥everything is and is not, at the same time≤; ≥all truths are but half-truths≤; ≥every truth is half-false≤; ≥there are two sides to everything≤, etc. It explains that in everything there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that ≥opposites≤ are really only the two extremes of the same thing, with many varying degrees between them. To illustrate: Heat and Cold, although ≥opposites≤, are really the same thing, the differences consisting merely of degrees of the same thing. Look at your thermometer and see if you can discover where ≥heat≤ terminates and ≥cold≤ begins! There is NO such thing as ≥Absolute Heat≤ or ≥Absolute Cold≤, the two terms simply indicate varying degrees of the same thing, and that ≥same thing≤ which manifests as ≥heat≤ and ≥cold≤ is merely a form, variety, and rate of Vibration. So ≥heat≤ and ≥cold≤ are simply the two poles of that which we call ≥Heat≤, and the phenomena attendant thereupon are manifestations of the Principle of Polarity. The same Principle manifests in the case of ≥Light and Darkness≤, which are the same thing, the difference consisting of varying degrees between the two poles of the phenomena. Where does ≥Darkness≤ leave off, and ≥Light≤ begin? What is the difference between ≥Large and Small≤? Between ≥Hard and Soft≤? Between ≥Black and White≤? Between ≥Sharp and Dull≤? Between ≥Noise and Quiet≤? Between ≥High and Low≤? Between ≥Positive and Negative≤? The Principle of Polarity explains these paradoxes, and NO other Principle can supersede it. The same Principle operates on the Mental Plane. Let us take a radical and extreme example, that of ≥Love and Hate≤, two mental states apparently totally different, and yet there are degrees of Hate and degrees of Love, and a middle point in which we use the terms ≥Like or Dislike≤, which shade into each other so gradually that sometimes we are at a loss to know whether we ≥like≤, ≥dislike≤ or ≥neither≤. And all are simply degrees of the same thing, as you will see if you will but think a moment. And, more than this (and considered of more importance by the Hermetists), it is possible to change the vibrations of Hate to the vibrations of Love, in oneπs own mind, and in the minds of others. Many of you, who read these lines, have had personal experiences of the involuntary rapid transition from Love to Hate, and the reverse, in your own case and that of others. And you will therefore realize the possibility of this being accomplished by the use of the Will, by means of the Hermetic Formulas. ≥Good and Evil≤ are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity. In short, the Art of Polarization becomes a phase of ≥Mental Alchemy≤ known and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic Masters. An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as those of others, if he/she will devote the time and study necessary to master the art.

THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM

≥Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.≤ – Hermes Trismegistus

This Principle embodies the Truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high tide and low tide; between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity described a moment ago. There is always an action and a reaction; an advance and a retreat; a rising and a sinking. This is in the affairs of the Universe, Suns, Worlds, Men, Animals, Mind, Energy and Matter. This law is manifest in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations; in the life of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man (and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the understanding of the Principle most important). The Hermetists have grasped this Principle, finding its universal application, and have also discovered certain means to overcome its effects in themselves by the use of appropriate formulas and methods. They apply the Mental Law of Neutralization. They cannot annul the Principle, or cause it to cease its operation, but they have learned how to escape its effects upon themselves to a certain degree depending upon the Mastery of the Principle. They have learned how to USE it, instead of being USED BY it. In this and similar methods consist the Art of the Hermetists. The Master of Hermetics polarizes himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole. All individuals who have attained any degree of Self-Mastery do this to a certain extent, more or less unconsciously, but the Master does this consciously, and by the use of his Will, and attains a degree of Poise and Mental Firmness almost impossible of belief on the part of the masses who are swung backward and forward like a pendulum. This Principle and that of Polarity have been closely studied by the Hermetists, and the methods of counteracting, neutralizing, and USING them form an important part of the Hermetic Mental Alchemy.

THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

≥Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law≤ – Hermes Trismegistus

This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect, and an Effect for every Cause. It explains that ≥Everything happens according to Law≤; that nothing ever ≥merely happens≤; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law. The Hermetists understand the arts and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects. The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns on the Chessboard of Life. But the Masters, rising to the plane above, dominate their moods, characters, qualities and powers, as well as the environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of Pawns. They help to play the Game of Life, instead of being played and moved about by other wills and environment. They USE the Principle instead of being its tools. The Masters obey the Causation of the higher planes, but they help to RULE on their own plane. In this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic Knowledge, let him/her read who can.

THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER

≥Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.≤ – Hermes Trismegistus

This Principle embodies the Truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything, the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work. This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even Spiritual Planes. On the Physical Plane, the principle manifests as SEX, on the higher planes it takes higher forms, but the Principle is ever the same. No creation, physical, mental and/or spiritual, is possible without this Principle. An understanding of its Laws will throw light on many a subject that has perplexed the minds of men. The Principle of Gender works ever in the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this Great Principle, within it, him, or her. Every Male thing has the Female Element also; every Female contains also the Male Principle. If you would understand the Philosophy of Mental and Spiritual Creation, Generation and Regeneration, you must comprehend and study this Hermetic Principle. It contains the solution of many mysteries of Life. We caution you, however, that this Principle has NO reference to the many base, pernicious and degrading lustful theories, teachings and practices, which are taught under fanciful titles, and which are a prostitution of the Great Natural Principle of Gender. Such base revivals of the ancient infamous forms of Phallicism tend to ruin mind, body and soul, and the Hermetic Philosophy has ever sounded the warning note against these degraded teachings which tend toward lust, licentiousness, and perversion of Natureπs Principles. If you seek such teachings, you must go elsewhere for them; Hermeticism contains nothing for you along these lines. To the pure, all things are pure; to the base, all things are base.

According to the first principle, everything that exists is Mental. But, Mental, is just a name, Hermes could have stated that everything is Energy, for example, and that would not change anything. Now, then, the fact that everything has the same nature permits the Hermetist or Free-Mason to work with these laws regardless of whether it be with an atom or with a galaxy, keeping always into account that we live in a Holographic Universe, and that every act and action does not succumb in itself, but, it brings repercussions that reach the very boundaries of said universe.

The concept of Mental Transmutation proposed by Hermetic Philosophy is a Transmutation of Conscience in the human being, a Transmutation of Negative into Positive, of Evil into Good, of ≥Lead≤ into ≥Gold≤, of Ignorance into Knowledge, of Hate into Loveä The gradual change of everything that we dislike about ourselves, which is determined solely through Knowledge, Self-Awareness, and Openness of Mind.

Working with the seven hermetic principles, we can change our personal circumstances, and those which surround us. We can attract to ourselves what we need, by the principle of correspondence, grouping the similar with the similar. We can situate ourselves in the adequate vibration to transmute, for example, Poverty into Wealth or Illness into Health, by the principle of vibration. We can transmute the negative into positive by the principle of polarity. We can consciously create the adequate rhythm to break a pernicious habit. We can inundate our lives with favorable effects if we plant good causes, by the principle of cause and effect. And, in short, we can engender all the projects we wish, by the principle of generation.

The Hermetic and/or Masonic Adept must labor earnestly, in order to achieve the expected results with the aid of these principles. Utilizing these laws in the appropriate manner, while working on a superior evolutionary project, the student may also be attaining better changes in his livelihood, his health, his relation with a significant other, his patrimony, and his general success in life, for the adequate use of The Kybalion has no limits. For every person who has a genuine spiritual yearning and dramatic questions concerning the meaning of life, the Kybalion of Hermes Trismegistus can point the right way, a safe and objective path that counters the spiritual fantasies of the Pseudo-Esoterism in which the semi-hypnotized individual dreams of evolving, without actually transmuting his/her animal nature.

Hermeticism, therefore, is not a methodical philosophy, but, the Magisterial Science of

the Universe, the science of all sciences, the science that awakens in man his latent mental capacities, and teaches him to live wisely by means of the correct employment of the Laws of Nature.

Hermetic Philosophy is a Vivid Philosophy, not a mere cognition. Aside from being a sublime teaching, it constitutes a cosmic system of evolution, an escape door which permits the human being to transcend his/her animal condition to become a different species known as The Stellar Man, a superior creature that represents the Evolutive Summit of the homo sapiens, and, at the same time, the beginning of a New Evolutionary Cycle at a higher level.

The Kybalion tells us that ≥to destroy an undesired degree of vibration, one must place in operation the principle of polarity and concentrate oneπs attention on the opposing extreme which we desire to suppress. The undesired is then eliminated by changing its polarity≤.

This operation is one of the principal hermetic axioms, a timeless teaching, of course mastered and explicated by Hermes Trismegistus over five thousand years ago, it indicates to us that we must pay attention to that which we desire to eliminate, by simply applying it to any realm or circumstance of our lives, be it internal and/or external.

We must also ≥maintain the rhythm≤ and not arrive to the completely opposite extreme, to amount to hatred, for if we hate, we will never let loose of that which we hate; Hatred impairs Reason, it turns into an obsession, becoming part of ourselves, of our lives, and will always inhabit our mind and thoughtsä we must seek equilibrium.

Another way, is by changing our interior vision of living things, for example, trees, recognizing the mission they have accomplished by feeding the bonfires of our ancestors, without which we would never be where we are. Time is way past due for us to give them a ≥breather≤, for, after all, they supply oursä It is not the same to observe a tree as a piece of wood rather than as a living being.

To escape inferior causes and effects, to respect our surroundings and harmonize ourselves with ≥the doctrine of no harm≤, we must strive not to cause harm to any sensible or pain sufferable being. This is a way to polarize toward a respect for that which surrounds us; that which hurts me hurts others; that which hurts others hurts me; that which benefits me benefits others; that which benefits others benefits me; However, just like I stated before, this does not only include people, but, all ≥sensible beings≤ä Hippocrates told us: ≥ä make a habit out of two things, help, or, at least, do no harm ä≤. Therefore, just like he suggested, we should all endeavor to cause the least possible damage.

If we control the causes, starting with those minor ones, we shall cease suffering unwanted and/or uncontrollable effects at will; we shall pass from ≥effects≤ to ≥causes≤ escaping from one inferior plane to a superior, we will rule in the inferior, but, being already subject to other superior effects.

Remember the adage: ≥The masses allow themselves to be dragged obeying their ambience, succumbing to the will and desires of men stronger than them, yielding to the effects of inherited tendencies, insinuations, temptations and other foreign causes, thus becoming nothing more than pawns in the chess game of life≤.

He who practices Mental Transmutation works an another state of conscience or plane, transforming conditions and mental states into others in accordance with formulas more or less efficacious.

Even modern Schools of Psychology implement various ≥treatments≤, ≥affirmations≤, and/or ≥autosuggestions≤ which, are nothing more than these same Hermetic Principles, frequently utilized unconsciously and, therefore, imperfect.

With Knowledge, Self-Awareness and Will Power, a human being can pass from one state of conscience to another, from effect to cause, from being destructive to constructive, from apathetic and motionless to one eager to live, respectful, participant and ≥harmonized≤ with his/her surroundings. The Kybalion encourages us to ≥avoid all mental avarice and express into practice all that which we have learned≤, and, again, this can only be attained through study, knowledge, attention and much strength of will.

My Brothers, Hermeticism does not only pursue the possession of theoretical knowledge, but, it engages in it through practice, showing us, at the same time, how we are formed. Carpenters give shape to wood; Iron Forgers give shape to steel; Sculptors give shape to stone; And the Wise give shape to themselves.

The possession of knowledge which is not accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Practice and Deed, is the same as burying precious minerals and metals, an useless and futile thing.

Let us, therefore, ever remember the admonition of The Thrice Great Master of Masters: ≥Knowledge, just like Fortune, must be employed. The Law of Use is Universal, and he who violates it shall suffer for having set himself in conflict with the Forces of Nature≤.